


Chasing Constellations

by JustToast



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Camping, Fluff, M/M, Mutual Pining, Summer
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-09
Updated: 2016-09-09
Packaged: 2018-08-13 21:39:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,875
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7987135
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JustToast/pseuds/JustToast
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Keith's parents are getting a divorce and drug him off to go camping for the summer. Keith has never experienced real happiness, but meeting a strange boy under the stars is about to change everything.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Chasing Constellations

**Author's Note:**

> Original AU idea / Edited by Sinnieminni [Twitter](https://twitter.com/sinnieminni) / [Tumblr](http://cinnieminni.tumblr.com/)  
> Written / Edited by Justtoast [Twitter](https://twitter.com/justtoastt) / [Tumblr](http://drawingtoast.tumblr.com/)  
> Edited, Fine Tuned, and Proofread by [Akindaofzen](https://twitter.com/akindaofzen)

Keith leaned his head against the hot car window as the large vehicle took down the road. He stared blankly at the blurry landscape as it passed by. The city gave way to empty countryside and soon that turned into a blur of trees as they rushed past. The car ride was quiet except for the occasional bickering in the front seat. His parents spoke under their breath to each other, but the disgust could still be heard.

Keith glanced towards the front of the car for a moment before averting his gaze once again to the blurry landscape. Summer had just started and he was pulled from his life as a shut in to spend the summer with his parents in the woods. When they had sprung the news of their divorce, Keith wasn’t surprised in the least. He didn’t understand what this trip was supposed to accomplish. It was a lost cause and anyone could see that. He felt bad that his father was still hanging on to some semblance of hope.

They told him this would be their last trip as a family. One last happy memory before it all fell apart. They told him that it wasn’t his fault and that he shouldn’t blame himself. Keith had never once thought that he wasn’t good enough, that he could try harder, or that he needed to do more. His whole life his mother had told him how to feel, what to do, and how to do it. He didn’t know any other emotions other than what he was feeling now, so how could he possibly think this was his fault. If he had to describe to someone how he felt it would be numb. He wasn’t happy or sad, just numb.

“This will be good for you Keith. You can get out of your room and get some fresh air for once,” his mother’s voice carried a bit of a disappointed tone.

“I guess...” was all he said in reply. When your father is never home and your mother controls your entire life from when you wake up to what you wear and when you get to leave, you find plenty of time to become a shut in.

The car turned and smooth pavement became hard gravel. He moved from leaning on the window to resting his back against the chair. He watched as the cabin came into view. It was a newer cabin built on the recently developed side of the lake. It was what some would call fancy. It had all the amenities that one would want with a house, you couldn’t really call it camping in fact, other than the fact that you were in the woods. The older cabins, on the other side of the lake, were run down and left to the wild. Some were sold fairly cheap because of their sorry state.

Once the car stopped Keith got out before his parents and grabbed his bag. Not wanting to deal with them he made his way up the winding steps towards the cabin. The large three-story cabin was hidden partially in the trees on three sides. The main wall that was facing the lake seemed like it was almost entirely made of windows to let the natural light in and give off the illusion of being more in nature. To the side of the main wall a small patio jutted out partially into a small slope. It was decorated with a rather nicely built in grill that matched seamlessly with the wall. Some Cherrywood and white patio furniture finished off the décor giving the whole thing a rather clean and modern feel even out in the woods. Above the patio on the second floor was a railed balcony giving a rather nice view of the lake. Above that, however, was a small room with a set of three windows built into the roof. One could easily move from the windows and climb up to sit above them on the small roof jutting out over the room itself.

Keith looked up as he walked towards the cabin and decided that’s where he would stay. It was far enough from where he assumed his parents would be sleeping and he could easily see the lake if he ever felt like gazing. He picked up his pace a bit as he heard his parents voices over his own thoughts. He hurried inside and took a moment to take everything in.

The interior of the house was the same Cherrywood as the outside. White furniture with wooden frames littered the living and dining rooms. A painting of the lake and some sailboats hung over the fireplace and some fake, stuffed animal heads littered the walls here and there. He noticed the stairs from the door and made his way over. The second floor was much like the first just a little less roomy. Sliding doors opened to the balcony and a door to the side lead to what he assumed was the master bedroom. He made his way up the last flight of stairs and up to the third floor of the cabin. The third floor was smaller than the others and only had a small hallway by the railing and two doors. One to the bedroom and the other to a small bathroom.

Keith opened the door and looked into the room. It was small, only having a bed, desk, and a small sofa, but it was away from his parents. After tossing his bag on the bed he shut the door and leaned with his back against it. If he was going to stay shut in this room the whole trip then he could have just stayed home.

Home.

Maybe he didn’t have a home to go back to anymore, maybe that’s why he couldn’t have stayed.

He ran his hand down his face and walked over to his bag. He pulled out a black, cotton jacket and pulled it on, zipping it up to his mid chest. He grabbed a red beanie and tugged it on over his mess of hair and looked at himself in the mirror on the other side of his room. His dark, wash capris with red and white converse classic chucks made him look a little bit like a hipster. He didn’t mind, he always liked the look.

He made his way out of his room and descended down the stairs. He could hear his parents bickering in the living room area and sat down on the steps for a minute. He wasn’t trying to listen in, but he didn’t want to get roped into their conversation since they were still close to the door. If he was going to be stuck here for a month with them then he was going to spend as little time as possible with them as he could.

“I don’t know why you think that coming here is going to fix things Takehiko. This is the most Keith has seen you in a month,” Keith’s mother put a hand on her hip and leaned to one side. She had long black hair styled just right and a pair of beautiful blue eyes. Her features were all but perfect, nothing out of place. Some of it was doctored up, but you couldn’t tell unless you looked at some of her old photographs.

“I still think we have a chance to fix this Elizabeth. We know the problem, but you refuse to take any part of the fault,” his father sighed and fell backwards onto the couch. He looked a lot like Keith with short black hair and deep, indigo eyes and the same tired look in them. He was tall and unfortunately that meant Keith got his height from his mother. He was very clean cut and his face was devoid of hair, but the stress made him look older than he was.

“Fault? How is it my fault that you work so much that your home maybe three times a month. How is it my fault that you think you can buy Keith’s love,” She let out an exasperated sigh and crossed her arms as she looked down at her soon to be ex-husband.

“You don’t even get it do you. You don’t even understand what you’ve done wrong. You wouldn’t though since you’re too preoccupied with making sure Keith turns out just how you want him to. You’re too controlling Elizabeth. Let Keith decide what he wants to do for once.” Keith’s father could admit his faults. He could admit that he was wrong in avoiding the problem so much that it had come to this. He wanted to fix it and he was hoping this trip could become some sort of catalyst for just that.

“Controlling? Everything I do for Keith is for his own good. I want him to grow up and be successful. Everything I do for him is out of love and worry that he’s going to grow up to be some delinquent. He’s our son and he will be successful just like we are. I’m just guiding him on his way and when he gets older he will appreciate it,” his mother was caring in her own way, even if she couldn’t admit that she was a bit controlling and overbearing.

Keith didn’t really care to hear much more and stood up making his presence known as he audibly stomped down the stairs. He put his hands in his pockets and noticed the hush as he entered the room. He glanced at his parents for a moment then headed towards the door.

“Where are you headed off too?” his mom looked over at him. A bit of attitude still lingered on the end of her sentence.

“You wanted me to get out so I’m getting out,” he would let her decipher if his words had any underlying meaning to them. For now he just wanted to get away and clear his head a bit. He made it to the door and left without saying anything else. It was still a bit hot outside, but he knew it would get colder as the day turned into night. The trees would block out most of the sun and he wasn’t too worried about getting too hot, he tended to get cold easily anyway.

He thought he would take a walk in the woods near the older part of the camp. You couldn’t get lost in the woods by the lake. There was always someone on the lake making noise, especially by the new cabins. As long as you could make your way back towards the lake you could find your way home. Keith wasn’t worried.

At present, Keith wasn’t feeling much of anything.

= = X = =

“Mamá! Tell Lance to get his dirty feet off of me!” The small girl with cute, brown pigtails shoved her brother’s shoes off her lap. She reached up and fixed her a pigtail that had come loose after struggling with her brothers lanky legs.

Lance was startled awake and yawned, stretching his arms up over his head. He gave his sister a droll smile and managed to sit upright without bothering her much, “Oh stop complaining Sofia. You should be honored to be my foot rest.”

Unlike the rest of the world who hadn’t met Lance yet, his family was fairly immune to anything that left his mouth. His sister sighed and gave him a dirty look before clambering over the seat to join her other brother who was taking a nap in the back. Lance just chuckled and rolled down his window to look outside while they drove. His eyebrows perked when he felt a hand on his knee and he looked over at his mother.

“Be nice to your brothers and sisters, mi hijo. For me, por favor,” She smiled and pat his knee a few more times. She was a small, plump woman with a mess of chocolate-brown hair tied up in a bun. She was all smiles from her eyes to her mouth and just oozed a mom vibe.

“Of course I will, for you Mamá,” he gave her a sweet smile then looked back out the window as they drove. He squinted his eyes and stared across the lake once it came into view. He wondered what all the new cabins looked like. He and his family had been coming to the lake for years during the last month of every summer and he could remember when it was nothing but trees across the way. Once the older cabins became obsolete, so to say, the property owner had sold them the one they rented every year for a very good price.

As they pulled up to the cabin, and to Lance’s dismay, his older brother and the rest of his family were already there and starting on repairs. He sunk down into his seat as if it would hide him from responsibility. The car came to a halt and Lance’s father got out of the car and looked down at lance through his open window, “Lance get out and help your brother Miguel.”

“Ugggggh…,” Lance got out of the car and reluctantly made his way over to his older brother. They were making repairs to some rotten wood panels on the side of the cabin. They had removed a few panels already and his brother was working on getting the new ones back up.

His older brother had hair that stopped a bit below his ears. He wore a wide goatee on his chin and lance often teased him about it. He was tall, like most of his family, and very broad shouldered. His wife, Robin, was also tall and had a studious air about her. Lance always thought she reminded him of a librarian or a secretary. She had short, curly brown hair and wore circular glasses over her blue eyes. Currently she was watching her husband struggle with the plank whilst she played with their small child in the grass.

Helping his older brother was his brother-in-law, Richard. He was married to his older sister, Maria. The pale, lanky new member of their family tried his best to help with the paneling, but it was apparent that he was more suited for desk work than manual labor. Richard also had long, brown hair that ended at his shoulders and fluffed up a bit at the end. Lance supposed that everyone in his family was doomed to marry a brunette.

“I am here Miguel, may your worries be subsided,” Lance walked over and raised a brow as he gave them a cocky grin. He was wearing some khaki shorts and sneakers with a white tank-top and baseball cap. The cap was turned around backwards and the way Lance wore it screamed ‘I’m bringing this look back.’

Miguel chuckled and looked over at his little brother, “I’m more worried that you’re here. Last time you tried to help me fix something I had to take it apart and rebuild it.” Miguel laughed as he remembered Lance trying to help him put a bicycle chain back on. Somehow Lance had gotten the chain stuck in itself and tangled up around a pedal.

“Excuse me, but I told you I didn’t know anything about bicycles,” he crossed his arms and raised a brow. His expression reading annoyed, “but how hard can it be to hammer some nails up into wood?”

“Harder than you think. Why don’t you just go help Maria inside? She’s helping our grandparents get settled in. Ma is most likely going to need help with dinner as well and we still have to string up the lights. I can take care of this if you want to do something else,” Miguel spoke as kind as he could, but he really wanted Lance to do something he couldn’t possibly mess up.

“Your lack of faith in me saddens me greatly Miguel,” he put the back of his hand on his forehead and leaned back in a rather dramatic fashion. Everyone was used to Lance’s dramatics, but Miguel was the only one who still laughed at them.

“Lo siento hermanito,” he reached forward and fluffed Lance’s hair a bit as he reached under his hat. “But I think you will be better suited to another task. Plus I have Richard helping me.” Miguel’s stare added a silent “And I don’t need anymore ‘help’.“

Lance looked over at Richard who was struggling a bit to hammer in one nail when Miguel already had his side finished, “right right…” he smiled and raised his hand, “hello Richard!”  
Richard waved back without thinking, “hello Lance!” and dropped the plank he was carrying. He fumbled a bit and picked it up with a slightly embarrassed expression. Even though he was new to the family everyone still loved him like he had always been a part of it. They welcomed anyone that treasured family as much as they did happily into their flock. Richard may not have been cut out for the work, but Lance and Miguel couldn’t fault him for trying his best.

“Well I suppose I’ll go find something else to do,” he gave his brother a mock salute and walked off.

Even though the cabin was old and in small state of disarray, it was still a nice little cabin. It had enough space that he and his eleven other family members could fit comfortably, even if some had to share a room. It was old, but it also had a lived in feeling which Lance loved. All the panels were different shades of faded and some were even different types of wood. Nothing in the house was uniform, not even the furniture and Lance liked it that way. He walked around to the back of the cabin which happened to be his favorite part. The back opened out to a small dock with a little rowboat tied to it. Standing on the dock he could recall the countless summers just sitting on the edge with his feet in the cool water.

Lance looked out across the water. The lake had changed so much over the off season that it felt a little foreign. The once calm lake was now filled with boats and other small watercraft. Not that he minded. Lance was a social butterfly, but he had a feeling that the people across the lake wouldn’t enjoy his company. He got lost in his thoughts for a moment only to be interrupted by a tug on his shorts. He looked down and saw his little brother, “Hey Santiago. Did you need something?” he crouched down and got eye level with his sibling.

“Papá wants you to get the lights up before it gets dark,” the small boy looked like a mini copy of his older brother. Short, messy brown hair and big, dark, blue eyes. He rubbed his eyes with balled up fists and looked up into his brothers.

“Alright, do you want to help me?” Lance grinned and stood up holding his hand out for his little brother. Lance loved his siblings and he loved involving them in things even if he knew they really couldn’t help. Everything always seemed more fun the more people that were involved.

Santiago went from sleepy to wide-eyed and bright after hearing Lance, “Yes! Can I really?” he was so excited to help his brother do something. He liked to follow Lance around and try to do things he was doing, although most of the time he couldn’t. Lance always encouraged him to do his best and help any way he could.

Lance nodded and walked hand and hand to the front of the cabin. They had cleared the space in front of the door long ago and had two picnic tables set up as well as a small fire pit. They would string up some large bulb lights from the roof to the adjacent trees and turn them on when it got dark. It created a subtle ambiance in the darkness and it was even a little bit magical.

It didn’t take him too long to rig up the lights. Santiago held one end while Lance clambered up a tree rather ungracefully. He had a hammer in his mouth, much to his siblings protest, and eventually made his way up to the branch he needed to be on. Santiago tossed the lights up as high as he could and Lance caught the end with his foot by chance. He reached down and pulled the light bundle up to where he was sitting. They had tied the ends of three lights together so it made a V shape to the roof with one string going straight down the middle. He threaded the nail in his pocket through the loop at the end and hammered it into the thick branch. Once he was finished he made his way down, but like a cat, he had a harder time getting down the tree than up it.

He managed to get down by falling a couple feet onto his rump. He stood up and dusted himself off, silently cursing under his breath. His little brother ran over to him with a concerned look on his face, “are you okay Lance?” his big, doe eyes looked up at Lance as he clung to the bottom of his shirt.

Lance smiled and reached down ruffling his hair, “I’m fine. How about we go inside and see who else needs help?” He picked up his little brother and put him up on his shoulders. Sure Lance was lanky, but he still had a bit of muscle to him. He held onto Santiago’s legs as his little brother held onto his head. He whistled happily and walked off towards the cabin and to whatever waited them inside.

= = X = =

Keith had been wandering around the woods for a while. The crunching of twigs and leaves under his shoes were his only company as he made his way through the maze of trees. He could at least tell that the sun was setting as the forest around him grew dim and the air was starting to chill. He zipped up his sweater a bit and trudged along with no real destination in mind.

He wandered aimlessly for a while till he came upon a log sitting alone on the top of a small hill. He didn't see any trees around so he wondered if someone had set it there. It seemed pretty grown in with the grass accumulating around it, so if someone had, it had been a while ago. He walked around to the front and sat down. He looked out at the view from where he sat and took it in for a minute. It was just the perfect height to see over the trees below and to the mountains in the distance. He wondered to himself if this was one of those “majestic” views he had read about. He couldn’t see what was so special about it. It was just some mountains and trees.

He let out a deep, exasperated sigh and slouched a bit where he sat. He tried to remember what people had said about views like this. They were supposed to be beautiful, breathtaking, and make your heart flutter. Keith didn’t know what any of that felt like. Did he think it was beautiful? Not really. He took it at face value. It was just nature. The same nature that he had trudged through for the past few hours. Did he think it was breathtaking? What does that even mean? How could staring at trees and mountains take your breath away. He wasn’t even going to get into the fluttering emotion. No, unfortunately, Keith didn't feel anything looking out at the horizon.

Part of him wished he did. Part of him wished he could admire and appreciate this view like other people before him. Like the person who had put this log here. He wondered if whomever it was liked to sit here and look out at the view that laid before him. He wondered what went through his mind, what kind of expression he had on his face, when he looked out at the wonder of nature before him.

He also wondered if one day maybe he could appreciate something so simple.

= = X = =

As the night fell across the forest and lake Lance’s family had started cleaning up their outdoor area and taking everything inside. He helped, of course, but he was itching to go out into the woods. By the time he had gathered up everything he could in his arms and taken it into the kitchen only his mother was awake. She was standing at the sink and rinsing off some plates for easier cleaning in the morning.

“Mamá don’t worry about that I will do it later,” he set a small stack of dishes on the counter by the sink and pulled a towel off a small hook. He handed it to her and shut the water off.

She took the towel from Lance and started to dry off her hands, “are you going out into the woods mi hijo?” She put her hand on his bare arm and smiled up at him, “don’t get lost and please take a sweater. It's going to get cold.”

“Don’t worry mamá I won’t be out all night. I just want to go stargazing for a little bit,” he reached over with his other hand and put it over his mother's. Lance was very close to his family, but he was the closest to his mother. He knew she would accept him no matter what and it was comforting. She was an anchor for him that let him believe that it was alright to always be himself. He knew that even if the rest of his family didn’t support him, that she always would.

“Tienes estrellas en tus ojos, hijo,” she always said that to him before he left to go look at the sky. You have stars in your eyes. The phrase had always comforted him and brought him a sort of peace. He leaned forward and kissed his mother on the cheek before waving and leaving out the door.

Lance had been coming here since he was little and he knew these woods like the back of his hand. Every old stump, every fallen tree, and every hidden path was engraved into his brain over the years. He hopped over a fallen log and jumped over a well-hidden ditch. He looked down at the hole and its bed of leaves and shook his finger, “not today!” he laughed and spun around and made his way back in the direction he was first headed. He loved these woods and it felt natural just running around in them. He had to go see his favorite spot, it was his little secret place and it had the best view of the stars and sky.

He sprinted up the small hill and stopped dead in his tracks as he saw someone sitting on his log. He silently walked up to the top behind the figure wondering the whole time who it could possibly be. Surely it wasn’t someone from the new cabins? Was it a…ghost?

He rounded the corner of the log quickly and quirked his eyebrows as he looked at the boy sitting on his log. He was pale. He could be a ghost. He supposed that he should ask before trying to get rid of him. Did he even know how to get rid of a ghost? “Hey are you a ghost?” He said matter of factly to the stranger's face.

Keith was startled by the boy’s sudden presence. He had been so lost in thoughts that he didn’t even notice this strange boy walk up. Wait, did he just ask if he was a ghost? “Umm…no. Not that I know of?” Keith wasn’t sure how to respond to that. He had never been asked if he was a ghost before. He was pretty sure if he was a ghost he would be sort of transparent, which he wasn't.

Lance sat down and leaned forward a bit. He raised a brow and looked keith over once more, “well if you’re not a ghost, then this is my log.” His voice had a teasing tone to it that he often used with his siblings. Lance was by no means shy or one to have a hard time starting a conversation with a stranger.

Keith wasn’t sure what to make of this strange boy that had just sat next to him. “...You own this log?” Keith couldn’t tell if he was joking or just crazy. Surely this boy was just joking with him.

“That is correct Mr. Ghost,” Lance grinned and confidently nodded towards his sitting companion. “This is my log.” Lance could read the confusion on Keith’s face like an open book. The sheer look of bewilderment was enough to keep Lance going.

“I don’t see your name on it,” Keith retorted back. His confusion was turning into slight annoyance. Sure he had a hard time dealing with people, as his social life was fairly non-existent, but he had learned a few ripostes in his life. Ones he thought were clever anyway.

“That's because you're sitting on it,” Lance pointed downwards towards Keith's rear. “You’re actually on my side of the log.” He raised a brow, his expression positively cheeky.

Keith leaned over slightly and looked under where he was sitting. Crudely carved letters were barely legible and Keith sat back down and looked over at Lance, “ It looks more like chicken scratch than a name.” Keith raised a brow slightly when he saw the over exaggerated look of shock on Lance’s face.

“Chicken scratch?! It took me at least an hour to carve my name in there,” Lance knew his name probably hadn’t held up over the years. He couldn’t remember how old he was when he carved it in the old log, but he was sure that it didn’t look the same as before. “It’s Lance by the way,” He held out a hand towards Keith. “Nice to meet you.”

Keith looked at Lance then at his hand. He took it reluctantly, “yeah, nice to meet you.” This was the first time in his life that he had to introduce himself to someone without his mother being there. He was so used to her prattling on and on about all his information that he wasn’t sure what he should say. His voice caught in his throat and he held onto Lance’s hand while his mind wandered and thought about what to do.

“What’s your name, Unless you prefer Mr. Ghost?” Keith was snapped out of his trance by the question. He cleared his throat and let go of Lance’s hand. What’s his…”It’s Keith.” His cheeks tinted slightly out of embarrassment. Of course. Why didn’t he think to just say his name? He looked away from Lance and crossed his arms. “So you come here often?” he had to move the conversation along before this new boy had a chance to make fun of him.

“Oh yeah every summer. My brother and I actually brought this log up here a long time ago so we could star gaze. My family and I are staying in the old cabins not too far from here,” he smiled a toothy grin and put his hands on either side of him as he looked up into the sky. “I've always loved the stars. We used to come up here every night we stayed and just take it all in. Now that he has a family he doesn't come up here anymore, but I still do.”

“Stargazing? What’s so good about looking up at the stars? It's not like they do anything.” He looked over at Lance and then tilted his head upward to look at the stars. It didn’t look like anything special to him. It was the same sky he saw every night. It wasn’t anything great in particular, in fact it seemed lonely and a bit sad to him. He couldn’t imagine coming here every night just to stare at the sky alone.

“How could you say that?! Look at them!” Lance smiled and looked over at Keith. His voice was a bit high pitched from the sudden shock of Keith's words. He was about to say something smart, but his heart sunk slightly as he saw the look in Keith's eyes. He was used to the bright, smiling eyes of his family. So full of life and wonderment. Keith’s eyes however, they were devoid of any kind of light. To Lance it seemed like nothing but sadness resided there.

“I am looking at them. They don’t seem like anything special,” Keith looked at Lance and wondered why he was looking at him with such concern. Did he say something wrong? Maybe he had something on his face? Maybe he had somehow offended the boy? It was possible since he didn't get much interaction with people on his own, “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Don’t you think the stars are beautiful?” Lance gave him a sweet smile and pointed up towards the sky. “I love the stars. I always have,” he kept his focus on Keith and took in all the small movements of his face and body, trying to read him like a book. He hoped that he was wrong, but to him Keith seemed like a broken soul.

“Beautiful? Am I supposed to think they are beautiful?” Keith was genuinely confused by the question. He wasn’t sure how stars were meant to be beautiful. They were just a reminder of a light that had gone out already. Some semblance of something that used to be and will never be again. 

Lance reached over and put his hand on the underside of Keith’s chin. He lifted his head up towards the sky and chuckled, “how am I supposed to tell you what to think? There is no way I would know if YOU like stars. Only you know what you like.” Lance was determined to at least show this guy how beautiful the stars were. Maybe get that scowl off his face.

Keith looked up at the stars and tried to see them in a different light. He tilted his head to the side slightly and then to the other. He really couldn’t see what Lance saw in them. To him they were just traces of dead light that shot across the galaxy. “I don’t get it. I keep thinking about what makes them beautiful, but I can’t think of anything in particular.” He was about to look back at Lance, but his face was pushed back upwards.

“Stop thinking about it and just feel it,” Lance watched him as he stared up at the sky. His expression didn’t change and he still had those dull, sad eyes. “Just look up at the sky and all the twinkling stars. There are so many stars and planets out there. So many worlds that we don’t even know about. The night sky is like a painting meant just for us. Dazzling red and blues mix together to create purple hues and the stars gleam and glitter like small beacons of hope for all the lost souls searching for something to hold onto.” Lance didn’t know he could be so poetic, but he knew he had to get through to Keith.

Keith listened to every word that Lance spoke to him. He stared up at the sky as Lance so poetically described the shifting colors and gleaming stars. Maybe there was more to them than just what they were. His eyes widened and he gripped onto the hem of his sweater. He closed his eyes for a moment as it all sunk in and reopened them slowly. Lance could have sworn he saw a small twinkle of something there. Keith surprised even himself as he realized he was smiling, even if it was everso slightly. He didn't understand this new feeling welling up inside of him, but he didn't hate it. He kept his eyes to the sky that now seemed so new to him, “You’re right…they are beautiful.”

Lance gulped as a soft, red tint spread across his cheeks. Wow, what a beautiful smile…he caught himself staring for a moment then managed to get some words out, “y-yeah…they really are.” He cleared out his throat and looked up at the sky with Keith.

“They make me feel…small though. Is that...bad?” his smile was brief and had faded away when he looked at Lance. He was still confused about this new feeling he had in his chest. It was warm, but it made him ache. He wasn’t sure if he liked it or not.

Lance laughed and shook his head. He reached up with wide arms towards the sky and looked upwards, “The stars are huge! And look at them all! It would be bad if you didn't feel small surrounded by them all.” He lowered his arms and looked over at Keith, “It’s okay to feel small sometimes Keith.” 

Keith blinked a few times then laughed. He actually laughed. The sound was foreign to his ears as well as the smile plastered on his face. He wished that he could see the world through the eyes of this boy he had just met. “I don't even know what's going on right now. I don't know what I'm feeling,” he was laughing, but he could also feel tears lining his eyes and threatening to spill over.

“You're just feeling Keith. You don’t have to give a name to it. It’s ok to just feel once in a while,” Lance thought his laugh was beautiful. It sounded like something rare, like a secret you weren’t supposed to hear. Lance felt his heart flutter a bit as he watched Keith search his mind for some word that described how he was feeling.

“Happy”

Keith looked over at Lance and tilted his head slightly, “what?” happy? What did that mean? He didn’t realize at first why Lance had suddenly said that word aloud.

“You’re feeling happy,” Lance grinned and chuckled softly to himself. He watched the realization hit Keith like a bag of bricks.

“Happy...huh…” Keith smiled slightly and fiddled with the ends of his sleeves. It was new and it was a bit scary, but he didn’t hate it. He actually enjoyed the warm feeling welling up in his chest and stomach. 

Keith and Lance sat there for the rest of the night. Sometimes they spoke and sometimes they sat in silence for a few moments. Lance tended to prattle on and on about how much he loved the sky, the stars and just sitting here and taking in all nature had to offer. Keith never liked listening to people go on and on about things, but he found that he didn't mind listening to Lance talk. Everyone else he had the displeasure of listening too would ramble on and on about themselves or their high class families, but not Lance. He could listen to Lance talk about the stars all night.

He realized that it was getting late and it was possible, though slim, that his parents were worried about him. He waited for Lance to finish his sentence before speaking, “it’s getting late so I think I should head back home.”

“O-oh! Yeah… it is getting very late,” Lance had been talking so much that he lost track of the time. He couldn't remember the last time he had just talked and talked with someone that he wasn’t related to. “Do you want me to walk you back home?” Lance knew the way back to the new cabins had to be a small trek through the woods. He knew how dangerous the woods at night were for someone that wasn’t used to it.

“Ah no, I can make my way back alone,” he started to walk away from Lance, but stopped in his tracks and turned to look back at him. He didn’t know what compelled him to say what he was about to say, “Are you going to be here tomorrow night?”

Lance’s smile perked up and he grinned from ear to ear, “Yes! I will be here. Will you be here?” he didn’t know why he was so excited. Maybe it was because he made a new friend? Maybe it was because this lost soul had chosen him for a refuge. All he knew was that he wanted to see that smile again. He wanted to hear him laugh once more.

“I will,” Keith lifted his hand to wave. “I suppose i will see you tomorrow night then. Good bye Lance.” he waved as he made his way down the small slope and into the darkness of the woods. All he could think about while he walked home was the mess of feelings in his head. The new feelings that flooded his senses and the anticipation of tomorrow night.

**Author's Note:**

> Mi hijo - My son  
> Lo siento hermanito - I'm sorry little brother  
> Tienes estrellas en tus ojos, hijo - You have stars in your eyes
> 
> Thank you to [penypy](https://twitter.com/penypy) for the Spanish help!
> 
> Lots of beautiful art for this au!  
> [X](https://twitter.com/ArtiFedEx/status/773408755467837440) [X](https://twitter.com/sinnieminni/status/772931207327735808) [X](https://twitter.com/sinnieminni/status/772282236578082817) [X](http://drawingtoast.tumblr.com/post/150009580586/more-camping-au-stuff-with-cinnieminni-keith-cant) [X](http://drawingtoast.tumblr.com/post/149953576601/more-doodles-from-camp-au-with-cinnieminni) [X](http://drawingtoast.tumblr.com/post/149912233521/camp-au-pictures-from-a-fic-that-me-and)


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